the STRUGGLE (27 page)

“I’m okay, and if you don’t mind, it’s Ken, not Kenny.” There was a pause. “How’s your ankle doing?”

“It’s better. I got the cast off a week ago, but now I’m doing physical therapy.”

“How much longer will you be staying at Bonnie’s?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I guess that all depends on when Esther returns from Pennsylvania.”

“What’s she doing in Pennsylvania, and what’s that got to do with you?”

Trisha explained about Esther’s dad and then told Ken that she’d been doing the cooking for Bonnie and that Bonnie was taking care of servicing the rooms. “I thought Bonnie would have told you that,” she added.

“Nope. She never said a word.”

Hmm…that’s strange
, Trisha thought.
I know Bonnie’s talked to her dad since Esther left. I wonder why she didn’t mention any of this to him
.

“She probably didn’t mention it because she thought I wouldn’t approve,” Ken said, as though anticipating the question on the tip of her tongue.

“And would you?” she dared to ask.

“The B&B is Bonnie’s to do with as she likes, so whomever she hires to work there is her business, not mine.”

“So you’re okay with me working here?”

“I didn’t say that. Just said—”

The back door opened suddenly, and Bonnie stepped in. “It’s your dad.” Trisha held the receiver out to Bonnie. “I’m sure he’d rather talk to you than me.”

After Bonnie took the phone, Trisha left the room, wondering once again if things would ever be better between her and Ken. She hoped they would, because over these last several weeks, she and Bonnie had become good friends. She’d gotten to know Allen, too, and appreciated the way he always included her in the conversation whenever he came to see Bonnie, although Trisha usually tried to make herself scarce so he and Bonnie could have some time alone.

I wish I could be here for Bonnie and Allen’s wedding
, Trisha thought as she entered the living room and took a seat in the rocker.
Maybe when Esther comes back I can find another job somewhere in the area and rent an apartment in Hopkinsville—at least until after Bonnie and Allen are married
.

If she and Ken hadn’t broken up when they were teenagers, would she have visited him at this house? What if she had married Ken instead of Dave? Would they have ended up living in Kentucky instead of Oregon?

“Shoulda, woulda, coulda,” she murmured, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. “There’s always more than one direction a person can take. I guess there’s no point in pondering the ‘what if’s.’ ”

It had taken Hannah awhile to get the children settled down after they’d gone back to Samuel’s. They’d clearly been upset by Timothy’s outburst. After they’d had silent prayer before lunch, Leon looked up at Hannah and said, “How come Uncle Timothy’s mad at us?”

“I don’t think he’s mad at you,” Hannah assured him. “He was just upset because we went over to the house when he was really busy, and when the can of paint got spilled, he was left with a mess to clean up. I think he was more upset with me than anyone,” she added.

“When we first moved to Kentucky, Daadi used to yell at us like that,” Marla spoke up, putting her hand inside the sleeve of her dress.

“He did?”

“Jah. Esther said it was because he missed our mamm so much, but we thought he didn’t love us.”

“But you know now that he loves you, right?” Hannah questioned.

Leon bobbed his head. “Daadi got better after I ran away from home. Maybe you oughta run away, too, Aunt Hannah. Then when ya come back, Uncle Timothy might be nicer to ya.”

Hannah smiled despite her sour mood. “Sometimes I do feel like running away, but it probably wouldn’t be the answer to our problems.”

“What is the answer?” Marla asked.

Hannah shrugged. “I’m not sure. I guess I just need to let your uncle Timothy work on the house and not bother him when he’s there.” She reached over and wiped away a blob of peanut butter Mindy had managed to get on her chin.

Truth was, when Timothy snapped at her like he had today, it made her long to be back in Pennsylvania, where she’d have Mom’s love and support. That wasn’t likely to happen, though—especially now that they’d bought a house. Hannah figured she’d better make the best of things and try to stay out of Timothy’s way when he was busy working on the house. That would be easier than quarreling all the time or being hurt when he said something harsh to her, which seemed to be happening a lot lately. She knew Timothy didn’t like to argue either, but they seemed to do it frequently.

Maybe he thinks I’m hard to live with
, Hannah thought.

The children had just finished their lunch, when Hannah heard the sound of horse’s hooves coming up the driveway. When she went to the window, she was surprised to see Timothy’s horse and buggy pull up to the hitching rail.
I wonder what he’s doing back so early. Maybe he forgot a tool. Or maybe he came to lecture me some more
.

Fearful that Timothy might say something to upset the children, Hannah told them to go upstairs to their rooms.

“What about our
schissel?
” Marla asked. “Don’t you want us to clear them first?”

Hannah shook her head. “That’s okay. I’ll take care of the dishes.” She lifted Mindy from her stool and told her to go upstairs to play with Marla and the others.

When the children left the room, Hannah started clearing the table. She’d just put the last dish in the sink when Timothy entered the kitchen.

“What are you doing here?” she asked over her shoulder. “I thought you planned to work at the house all day.”

“I do, but I had to come home for a few minutes.” He stepped up to Hannah and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Es
dutt mir leed
.“

“You’re sorry?”

“That’s right. I shouldn’t have gotten so angry about the spilled paint and spouted off like I did. Will you forgive me, Hannah?”

She nodded, feeling her throat tighten. “I’m sorry, too,” she murmured. Hannah couldn’t believe he’d come all the way home just to say he was sorry, but it softened her heart. She felt more love for her husband than she had in a long time. Did she dare hope that things would be better between them from now on?

C
HAPTER
33

B
y the middle of March, Timothy and Hannah were able to move into their home. Not everything had been fixed, but at least it was livable. Since Esther was still in Pennsylvania, Hannah had agreed to watch Samuel’s children at her house, which meant he had to bring them over every morning, but he seemed to be okay with that.

One sunny Monday, Hannah decided to take advantage of the unusually warm weather and hang her laundry outdoors, rather than in the basement. As she carried a basket of freshly washed clothes out to the clothesline, she wondered if they’d made a mistake in buying this old house. So much remained to be done. Several upstairs windows needed new screens. Some screens were broken, and some were missing altogether. The barn needed work, too, which was important because it not only housed their horses, but also Timothy’s farming tools, painting supplies, and many other things, including hay and food for the animals. Then there was the yard. Hannah didn’t know if she’d ever get the weeds cleared out in time to plant a garden this spring. The fields behind the house looked like they hadn’t been cultivated in a good many years, and they’d need to be plowed and tilled before Timothy could plant corn. It was all a bit overwhelming, and having to take care of Samuel’s children during Esther’s absence only made it worse for Hannah. However, she’d agreed to do it, and the money Samuel insisted on paying her was nice for extra expenses.

Hannah shifted the laundry basket in her arms. On a brighter note, soon after they’d moved in, Timothy had mounted the covered-bridge bird feeder he’d given her for Christmas on a post in their backyard. Hannah glanced at the feeder and smiled when she saw several redheaded house finches eating some of the thistle seed she’d put out. She found herself humming and enjoying the joy spring fever always brought.

Redirecting her thoughts, she set the laundry basket on the ground and turned to check on the children. Penny, Jared, and Mindy sat on the porch steps, petting the pathetic little gray-and-white cat that had wandered onto their place the day they’d moved in. The kids had named the cat Bobbin because he bobbed his head whenever he walked. The poor critter had trouble with his balance and sometimes fell over when he tried to run. Hannah figured he’d either been injured or been born with some kind of a palsy disorder. One thing for sure, the cat had been neglected and was looking for a new home. While Hannah wasn’t particularly fond of cats, she couldn’t help feeling sorry for Bobbin, so she’d begun feeding him, which of course meant the cat had claimed this as his new home. For the sake of Mindy, who’d latched on to the cat right away, Hannah had allowed Bobbin to stay. But she’d made it clear that he was not to be in the house. She didn’t want to deal with cat hair everywhere, not to mention the possibility of fleas.

As Hannah hung a pair of Timothy’s trousers on the line, she thought about how hard he and his brothers had worked on the house. Looking around, she had to admit they really had accomplished a lot in a short amount of time.

She giggled to herself, thinking back to the day when their new propane stove had been delivered. When they were moving the appliance into place, part of the floor gave way, and the stove became wedged halfway between the kitchen floor and the basement ceiling. Everyone stood with looks of shock until someone had the good sense to suggest that they secure the stove before it fell any farther through the floor. Then they worked together to get the stove hoisted back up in place. Apparently, the wood floor had weakened in that area from a leaky pipe, because originally the sink was located there. It wasn’t funny at the time, and it set them back a few days, but Timothy, Samuel, and Titus managed to get the floorboards replaced and a nice square area inlayed with brick for the stove to set on. Except for a few scratches on her new stove, which Hannah wasn’t happy about, it had all worked out.

“Frosch schpringe net.”

Hannah looked down, surprised to see Jared standing beside her, and wondered what he meant about a frog not jumping. She was about to ask when he pointed to her laundry basket. A fat little frog sat looking up at her.

Hannah screamed. She hated frogs. Even the sight of one sent chills up her spine. “Get that frosch out of there!”

Jared looked up at her like she was a horse with two heads as he picked up the frog.

“Put it over there,” she said, pointing to a clump of weeds near the barn. She would have told him to take it all the way out to the field, but she didn’t want him going that far from the house.

As Jared walked off, Hannah shook her head and continued to hang up the laundry.
That boy is really something
, she thought with a click of her tongue.
I hope Esther knows what she’s getting herself into by marrying Samuel
.

She’d just finished hanging the last of the towels when she spotted a car coming up the driveway. When it pulled up next to the barn, she realized it belonged to Bonnie.

“Guder mariye,” Bonnie said as she joined Hannah by the clothesline. “That is how you say
good morning
, isn’t it?”

Hannah nodded, surprised that Bonnie knew some Pennsylvania-Dutch words.

“It’s so nice out today, and I decided to take a ride and come by to see your new house. Oh, and I brought you a few housewarming gifts.” Bonnie motioned to her car. “They’re in there.”

“I’d be happy to show you the house, but you didn’t have to bring me anything,” Hannah said.

Bonnie smiled. “I wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood. You know, my B&B isn’t too far from here, so feel free to drop by any time you like.”

“Thanks.” Hannah bent to pick up the empty laundry basket. “Let’s go inside, and I’ll show you around.”

“Sounds good. I’ll get your gifts from the car and follow you up to the house.”

Hannah skirted around the weeds and stepped onto the porch. “You all need to come inside now,” she said to the children.

“Can’t we stay out here?” Penny asked in a whiny voice. “We want to pet the katz.”

“You can pet the cat later. I need you inside where I can keep an eye on you.”

Penny’s lower lip jutted out, and when Mindy started to howl, Jared did, too. Their screams were so loud Hannah feared their nearest neighbor might call the police, thinking something horrible had happened. She held the laundry basket under one arm and against her hip then put her finger to her lips. “Hush now, and come inside,
schnell
.“

But the children didn’t come quickly, as she’d asked them to do. Instead, they sat on the porch step, with Mindy still holding the cat, and all three of them crying.

Just then, Bonnie showed up carrying a wicker basket. She placed it on the little wooden table on the porch, reached inside, and handed each of the children a chocolate bar. Even though Hannah didn’t normally allow Mindy to have candy—especially so close to lunchtime—she offered no objections, because Bonnie’s gift to the children was all it took to stop their crying.